The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-01-01
PLEURo-PNEUmoN1A.
Suggestions by Commissioner Col
man to Necessary Legislation.


WASHINGTON, Dec. Chairman Hatch ,oi
the House committee on agriculture, has re-
ceived from Commissioner Colman reply to
the resolution offered few days ago by Rep
resentatiye Swinburne, of New York, in which
the commissioner sets forth comprehensively
the difficulties met in the attempt to extirpate
or to control the pleuro pneumonia scourge
in the present state of the law and with the
machinery at hand, and reinforces his recon-
mendations previously made for more heroic
methods, with additional arguments and state
ments of fact.
The commissioner says: As to the quar-
antine of infected herds, glance at the law
is sufficient to show that this department can
not enforce quarantine regulations within any
State unless under State laws and by co-ope-
ration with State authorities. 1t seems next
to impossible for officers obtaining their au-
thority from two distinct sources to work to-
gethar harmoniously in a service of this char
acter, and would recommend most emphat-
ically either that sufficient authority be given
to this department to eradicate the plague or
that the work be left entirely to State
authorities. To efficiently quarantine infect
ed herds for any considerable period is a
most difficult thing to accomplish, even with
the most rigid laws and the seyerest penalties.
and do now recommend, that wherever an in
fected herd is discovered all exposed animals
be slaughtered, the premises thoroughly dis
infected and the owner compensated for the
loss to which he is subjected for the protec-
ton of the public. The outbreak of pleuro-
pneumonia in Kentucky indicates the great
superiority of a method which secures the
prompt extirpation of the contagion over any
temporizing measures designed to preserve in
stead of to destroy it. AS soon as pleuro-
pneumonia was known to exist in Kentucky
the other States of the Union quarahtined
against Kentucky cattle, and the enormous
commerce in these animals was Frustrated.
The local quarantine measures were looked
upon by the authorities of other States as an
insufficient guarantee of the safety of cattle
from Kentucky, and, therefore, no bovine an
finals were allowed TO- be admitted from there
except under rigid and burdensome restric-
lions. These restrictions, maintained for
nearly two years, are estimated to have caus-
ed a loss to the cattle breeders of the State of
from ten to twelve millions of dbllars-a loss
which would have been entirely prevented if
there had been authority for this department
to have caused the prompt destruction of the
infected herds when the plague was first
discovered. The commissioner shows that
from November % to December 16 two thou
sand two hundred and seventy. one animals
were slaughtered in Chicago, ofwhich number
one thousand and thirty-on were found to be
affected with pleuro pneumonia. Virginia is
the only remaining State infected with pleuro-
pneumonia where the authorities have not
acce pied the rules and regulations. | have
called the attention of the governor to the de-
Suitability of Graduating the disease from this
State, but up to the present he has taken no
action. The Governors of Delaware and
Maryland have accepted the rules and regula-
tions as issued, and without modification of
iany kind. No cases of pleuro pneumonia
have been reported from Delaware since such
acceptance. Cooperation with the authori-
ties of Maryland has been more satisfactory
than with those of any other State. The r
cal laws are good. and the work
very largely in the hands, Of the inn
this department. Tn lHnJer OF
herds report - ttHls State is 19d
ing 2, 277 allllnals, of which 705 were =,
DIR. .AWray, the inspector who has Il in
charge of the work in Maryland since Septem-
Der 20, reported under date of December Z,
that since the former date 10 herds contain
ing 1854 animals, had been put in quarantine,
and that so herds, containing 1,089 animals,
were still held under such restrictions. Since
July ! this department has purchased and
slaughtered in Maryland 308 diseased cattle,
for which S7,069 was paid, being an average
of about $23 per head. In Maryland the
quarantine has been made very efficient by
placing a chain fastened with a numbered
lock around the horns, or with hornless cattle
around the neck of every exposed animal.
This has prevented the substitution of one
animal for another, and it has also led to the
prompt detection Of any quarantined cattle
which has been allowed to stray beyond the
boundaries of the infected premises. The
sick animals have been promptly slaughtered,
and it is believed that the good effects of this
work are already seen in the decreased num-
Der of new herds infected. In a number of
cases, where infected herds have been of I'M
usual danger to surrounding cattle, this depart
ment has purchased and destroyed the sick
animals, and the State has then condemned
and slanghtered ID ~ ~
thus entirely Graduating the disease at once.
Unfortunately the State appropriation has not
been large enough to do this in as many cases
as deemed desirable. have made no recent
investigations in Pennsylvania, and have no
official information as to the status of the
plague there. | learn, however, that the
Governors agent, Mr.. 7. j. Edge, reports
that during the year ending November 80,
1886, 1913 diseased animals were condemned
and slaughtered. In closing desire to urge
upon the committee the necessity of legisla-
ton, granting to this department power to
carry out the measures required for extirpating
pleuro pneumonia nntrammelled by State laws
or State authorities, if it is expected to
promptly suppress this disease.